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Kingdom:
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Metazoa
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Scientific
name:
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Palaemon serenus
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Common
name:
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Red-Handed Shrimp
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Native
Conservation status: Non-threatened
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Phylum:
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Arthropod
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Class:
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Crustacea
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Order:
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Caridea
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Family:
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Palaemonidae
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General description:
This shrimp has a transparent body and
pincers on the first two pairs of legs.
The first abdominal segment in this species overlaps the second abdominal
segment, and the second pair of walking legs or chelpeds have a
red stripe on the claw and are usually larger than the first pair. Due to the body transparency, the red
stripes and the black eyes, this shrimp is frequently seen as a pair of red
and black dots moving along the rock pool bottom. It is a wholly
marine shrimp, usually found alone or in small schools in inter-tidal rock
pools and estuary mouths.
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This species at Kioloa:
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Photo description and credits:
Palaemon serenus. Photo: Michael Jennions.
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Where found? 35o32.569S 150o23.488E
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Location description:
North Kioloa inter-tidal zone, found on late
Permian basalt/essexite.
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Habitat type:
Inter-tidal
zone and shallow sea.
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Abundance: Abundant and
widespread.
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Other information: The red-handed shrimp is quite reclusive
and lives sheltered underneath
rocks, algae, debris etc. Look
for the striking red collars around the base of the claws and the red and
yellow flecks on its back.
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Distinguishing features:
The shrimp grows up to 60 mm, it is
transparent, with oblique red lines on the carapace and flecks of red on
the abdomen. It has a red collar
around the base of its claws; thus, the red-handed shrimp.
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Similar species:
Macrobrachium intermedium. Palaemonetes australis.
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General distribution:
South Australia to New South Wales and around
Tasmania.
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Natural history and quirky facts: Palaemon serenus as with most carids (Palaemonid
shrimps) are chiefly scavengers, that opportunistically feed on dead fish and
shellfish. When disturbed the
shrimp takes shelter under rocky overhangs, or underneath rocks, debris or
algae.
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References:
Edgar, G. J. 2000. Australian Marine Life: The plants and animals of
temperate waters. Sydney: Reed New
Holland. Museum Victoria Australia
1996 Red-Handed Shrimp. www.mov.vic.gov.au. 9.9.04. Murphy, N. P. and Austin, C. M.
2000. Molecular taxonomy and
phylogenetics of some species of Australian Palaemonid Shrimps. Journal of Crustacean Biology 23, 169 -
177.
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Submitted by:
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Aaron Heugh
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Submission date:
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05/Oct/04
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